Just got into the hotel, free wi-fi...YAY! I journaled my day including planned dinner and am 480 calories over, but I know I need to eat at a maintenance level before my marathon, not a losing level, so I'm okay with it. Dinner will be Spaghetti, soup, coffee, and spumoni ice cream for dessert. Then bed!

The expo was TEENY! I think there were maybe five tables in all, and they were all so small that even if you wanted to look at anything on the table you couldn't because if two people stood in front of them, it was blocked. I'm kind of amazed at the lack of organization for a marathon in its 31st year. I had the wrong shirt size (m and I'm an s, and I know I would NOT have marked m), there is absolutely ZERO information about the race itself inside the packet. I mean NOTHING except a really blurry photo of the course. No address for the start line. The website says you start at N. Idaho College, but then on another page on the site it has you running around N. Idaho college after a few turns. The route itself is frightengly convoluted. I mean SRSLY! It takes you through neighborhoods in an out and back and there are so many turns I am honestly nervous about getting lost. I found a course description on the website and wrote down directions for that part of the course. It does go out along the Centennial Trail, which is beautiful paved and runs right along Lake Coeur d'Alene. So the course should be gorgeous, and this time of year I'm sure the yards in the neighborhoods will be blooming beautifully. It looks like there are about 2600 participants in all three races, which is why I worry a bit about getting lost. I do not like the no MP3 rule. I think that should be a personal decision and if I had seen that on the website before I registered, I would not have run this race. Especially since 90% of the course is on a trail where there is no traffic at all. Grandma's is a no MP3 race too and the only reason I signed up for it is because my sister wanted to run it. Otherwise my plan had been to find a friendlier race to run in Minnesota. I actually don't usually listen to it the entire race. I'd rather find someone to talk to along the route, and enjoy the sounds of nature. But there is always that point in the race where you just NEED to get into your own head and the music motivates you. With so few runners, I fear I'll be running alone in silence the entire race.

I'm bringing it anyhow... It has my Nike+ and I want my mileage recorded. I'll just keep it in my pocket of my running skirt.

I sound negative about the race. I'm actually not. I know it's going to be beautiful and a lot more enjoyable long run than if I were running alone at home. I don't think there will be much in the way of spectators outside of the immediate start and finish area, but oh well. I knew it wasn't going to be a big race going into it. I just hope I can make friends on the course. I'm wearing my "100 pounds lost, 1000 blessings gained" shirt, so that always sparks conversations. I'm looking forward to tomorrow!

Race starts at 7 a.m. PST tomorrow, Sunday May 25! W00t!